The Indian Navy’s January 17 RFI for the procurement of 57 naval fighters could be worth US$12 billion for the selected foreign supplier.

India needs the fighter jets for its second aircraft carrier being locally built at the Cochin shipyard. The carrier along with the existing INS Vikramaditya which houses only MiG-29 K fighters are expected to be the bulwark of the Indian Navy’s force projection.

The price of the contract has been estimated on the cost of each carrier borne jet at around US$200 million each if it were a western fighter or under US$100 million if it were to be a Russian jet.

The likely contenders for the contract can be Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, a naval version of the Dassault Rafale, Russian Su-33 that were used in the recent Syrian operations and another Russian-carrier based fighter, the MiG-29K Fulcrum fighter jet. India operates a total of sixteen MiG-29Ks from the carrier INS Vikramaditya and the navy is expected to take deliveries of all 45 MiG-29K fighters, which began in late 2009, this year.

Saab has earlier offered its Sea Gripen, the naval version of Gripen NG to India. The Sea Gripen is intended for both CATOBAR and STOBAR aircraft carriers. Sea Gripen is the only aircraft that fits with the intended RFI’s terms for aircraft which can operate in both CATOBAR and STOBAR take-off and landing systems.

The selection of the aircraft will depend on what launch system will be used aboard the new carries currently under construction.

It is still not clear if the procurement will have a ‘make-in-India’ component or it will be a fully foreign import like the MiG-29K or the recently purchased Dassault Rafale for the Indian Air Force.

The INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, are both fitted with so-called ski-jump assisted Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) launch systems for launching aircraft, whereas the second carrier of the new Vikrant-class, the INS Vishal, will likely use a catapult assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) aircraft launch system, incorporating the new electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) technology.

In November 2016, Indian Navy revealed INS Vishal planned to be launched by 2030 and not carry MiG-29Ks but a new generation of probably CATOBAR aircraft. This will open up opportunities for competitors, in particular France and the United States, to push their naval combat aircraft, or even other Russian aircraft.

According to the RFI, ‘the aircraft, single- or twin-seat (or available as both), should be able to perform Short Take-off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) or Catapult Take-off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) operations or both’.

Russian Sukhoi Su-33 single-seat ship-based STOBAR fighter can easily take-off at max load of 32000kg from 110m. The aircraft was used in Syrian operations. Only the Russian MiG-29K and Su-33 are STOBAR configured.

Last April, the US agreed to share catapult technology with India on the new launching and landing systems being installed on the latest US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R.

Ford.

India wants to move to a flat-deck design for its aircraft carriers, former US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter had said that the US is "more than willing" to share its catapult technology for launching fighter jets off carriers.